New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-03
person. WHO knows whaShe wants IN the MAN, but

IL absolutely without any notion how what no
wants can be obtained for him by anybody bup
himself He is utterly unable to grasp the aostraot
notion even Of body polticj he Is intensely 'oca,
In his preudices and sentiments. ltmay De douotea
whether he is animated by any real PATRIOTISM.
For great public questions, except "a tney may
directly affect his own interests, he cares not a
straw It must be a long time before the vote Oh
the agricultural aborers can represent anything
halter than the views Of those who happen 10
dominate over them for the time being his Is
not cheerful lookout for those who are patrlotic.
II promises rich harvest TO the swarms Oh rascaiS
who are always ready TO exploit Ignorant voters Ill
every country, aud who know ONLY 700 well no"
to make the worse appear the better causc' Anu
perhaps long before the swans have been educateu
mn TO the intelligent nse Of the ballot Already VIII
have been depopulated. If the present conaitlohs
are to continue this seems inevitable. WIN the
degradation of the agricultural laborer po'slo'y
cheaper labor may take its place; as has happened
now these many years IN single directioh'
namely the annual influx of Irish at harvest time.
Only the conservatism of tho Arcadian peasant
at present holds him the soil, and that conserva-
tism is clearly match IN the long run for the
strong influences which are both drawing ana
driving him away from his immcmoriai fields.
The Arcadlans are not without imagination, and
they still cling to supersttions of an 0ld-iasoheu
kind The belief in the evil eye survives among
them, and many yeoman, when his COW falIs sicH'
or the blight appears in his potatoes or any other
small trouble occurs, suspects that ne mas oeeh
overlooked" by an enemy. The belief III witches
Is not extinct, and wise women" and cunning
men, not nfrequently make far livelihood out
of the credulity of their neighbors. Dr. Jcssopp
cites cases In which peasants and small farmers
WHO Thought they had been Overlooked" resorted
10 the approved remedy which is, drawing blood
from the suspected witch. In one instance a
farmer taken 10 the act of furously beating
a poor woman because he thought she had be-
witohed him. He was taken before the magistrates
and fined He paid The fine; "but as Mr.. Scrog-
gins land down the money he protested before gods
and men that 1t was all very well for the gentle
men to talk their high flown bombast when the re-
porters were present to take them down. But YOU
were never gong 10 make him believe
bnt that There aiut mono on cm
as wouldn't ha' sarved that thcro woman wns'n
did If he'd been overlooked same as wns.' The
swans of Arcadia hold to ManichTsm often. aud
the way in which they regard Providence IS Illus
trated by an amusing story An old farmer had
lost his wife. and tne parson. who was recently
imported town man, ignorant of rustic ways PAD
him visit of coincidence. The good vicar spoke
snch comfort as he could. aud more than once IN
sisted on the obvious truth that the ordering OF
Divine Providence' must not be muGmured al,
and that Providence mist needs be submitted
to with resignation The soTowing farmerli>tened
patiently aud silently for somc minutes. At last
he could refrain no longer, but opened his mouth
aud spoke saying, that's right enct
that es, There amt use gam
savin' on it; but somehow that there
Old ProridcHoe hev been aLn ms all along he
hev! Wnoi, last year he mos spoiIt my tater'' ana
the year afore that lie kinder did for my unnlps
and now he's been aud got hold 0 my m'ssus
But he added. with a burst of heroic faith and
devout assurance. Il reckon rs there's one dbcr as u
nut stopper on la ifa g 100 fur !'' One womb
imagine that the theology of Arcadia must be Some
what confusing to tae spiritual shepherds OF the
region.
Dr. Je,sopp bears testimony TO the hold which the
primitive MothoIls have upon the peHsautry IN
many parts ot England. He SAYS: Explain II
how We WILL aud draw our inference, az We choose,
thereis no denying il that IN hun ireds OF parishes
in Erg and the stuffy little chapel By the waysidc
has been the only place where for many long daY
the very existence Of religious em)tlon has been
recognized, the only place III which
the ycamiDgs OF the soul and It's
strong cryIngs and tears have been
allowed to express themselves in the language of
the moment, uuiettered by ngid forms; the only
place where the agonzcd conscience has been en-
by confession and confronted by NJ least the sem
blanco Of sympathy; the only place where he
peasantry have e1joyed the free expression of their
opinions, and where, under an organization elrb-
Grated with extraordinary sagaclty they have kept
up a schOo of music, literature and politics. scil-
supporting and unaIded by dole or subNidy-abovo
all, "A school of el0queDce. IN which the lowlest
has become famlliaUzed with the ordinary rules OF
debate and has been trained 10 express himself
Getty Of Jesus was among the more cult
ured classes in the sixteenth century.
what the Frars were to the masses In
the towns during the thirteenth, that tie Primitive
Mcthodists are IN far way of becoming among
the laboring classes in East Anglia in our own
time" This recalls what Macsu.ay sad concerning
the deficiencies OF the Established Church of Eng
land in his great essay on Rankes History OF the
Popes. The Primitive Mcthodists have taken n
leaf from the Catholic notebook, and they are
winning the peasaItry by adaptation.
Or. Jessopp s not a pcssimst, though lie sees evil
clearly and takes 1t frankly into account. The
British yeomanry, he admits. are deterioratius
nav, there is danger of their practical extinction.
But nc not believe that present conditions can
endure lie holds that reaction has already be
gun, and he thinks that If there IS not too mu pa
ternahsm IN the legislation of tho future,
popular education and applied sense OF
duty on the part Of tho rich will
restore the threatened equilibrium. One chapter
in the book deals with Henry Georges land theory
III refreshDgly thorough way and leaves very
little of the doctrine in presentable state. The
Doctors style is exceedingly good; his thoughts
flow freely his observation "a sharp and accurate;
has sympathies 30 broad and deep that no wins
the readers interest at and his facts are 10
great extent so fresh and suggestive as TO render
his discussions econo nicaIiy valuable we'll as
charming IN their purely literary aspect.
Hew publications.